The Fast and the Furious: Redline
by soThenMegansaid
Summary: Leon finds someone that he wants to spend the rest of his life with, but what happens when he tells her about the trucks? Will she accept his ways and help with the hi-jackings or will she leave him behind and never look back?
1. Prologue

**The Fast and the Furious: Redline**

**Prologue  
**_Greek god_

Taylor kicked the sand as she walked down a long stretch of California beach. She rubbed her eyes, in hopes of stopping the tears that were rolling down her cheeks, but she failed miserably and tears began to form in her eyes. Taylor zipped her jacket up and wrapped her arms around herself. It had been a beautiful day. She was now walking down the beach watching the sun set. Taylor slipped into deep thought and began to remember how she and her boyfriend, Jarrett, used to sit outside their condo and watch the sun set. Of course that was before they...

"Heads up!" came a deep, throaty voice from somewhere on the beach ahead of her.

Taylor glanced up just in time to dodge an oncoming volleyball. Sand flew up as the ball made contact with the ground in the spot where she had once been standing. She quickly regained her composure and wiped away her tears. As she wiped the last tear away, a tall, muscular man jogged over to her and grabbed the ball from her feet.

"Sorry 'bout that," the man said with a smile. It was absolutely stunning. _He _was absolutely stunning.

Taylor felt her breath catch as she slowly took in his appearance. He was tall and had sun-tanned skin that accented his piercing green eyes exceptionally well. His brown hair peaked out from the black beanie cap he was wearing. The man's white wife beater was soaked with sweat and he smelled of beer, but to her it was a good smell. It was awakening. The black swim trunks that he had on were damp but also fit him in all the right places. Standing before her, she knew was a Greek god. Taylor felt the urge to pinch herself as the man's cool green eyes began to roam over her body.

She shuddered involuntarily when she realized that he was looking over her. The guy smiled. A mental picture of herself appeared in her mind. Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and the sun was casting auburn highlights onto her brown hair. She was a pair of light blue shorts, a white tank top, and a white hoodie. Taylor nervously shifted her toes in the sand and remembered leaving her shoes at her place.

She was brought from her thoughts when loud music filled the air suddenly. The guy in front of her smiled.

"Looks like the party has started," he said, chuckling.

Taylor gave him a weak smile.

"Hey. The name's Leon," he stated as he extended his hand. The volleyball was tucked under his left arm.

Taylor shook his hand and said, "I'm Taylor."

"Nice to meet you, Taylor."

"You too," she replied softly.

"Um...if you don't have anything better to do, wanna join us up at the house? There's an awesome party goin' on and we have a huge buffet in the kitchen."

"I don't know..." Taylor began to say.

"Aw, come on. What's the worse that could happen? You get drunk and have a good time? Come on, I'll get you a beer."

It was clear that Leon was not going to accept no as an answer, despite the fact that he had known her for less than five minutes.

"All right," she replied as they walked up to the house with him.

Butterflies filled her stomach, but part of her, her heart mainly, was telling her to relax and have fun. This party was what she needed to forget about Jarrett and all the shit that he had put her through.

_Have fun, _she told herself as she entered the house with Leon.

Partiers were everywhere she looked and even though it was only six o'clock, most of them looked trashed.

_It's a party, _Taylor reminded herself silently.

As she followed Leon to the kitchen, she felt several eyes fall onto her. Taylor began a little uncomfortable and decided to stick closer to Leon. He let out a small chuckle when he felt her get closer to him. She was a little embarrassed at the way she was acting, but it wasn't everyday that you were thrown into a room full of strangers. The two entered the kitchen and Leon dove into the fridge to get two beers. He popped the tops off and laid them on the counter.

"Here you go," he said, handing her a Corona.

"Thanks," she said.

Taylor finished the Corona and asked for another one. By the time her fifth one came around, her thoughts of Jarrett and his crap were gone. Days later, the only thing that she would be able to remember about the party was that it was big and loud. But boy did she have fun.


	2. 1: The Morning After

**The Fast and the Furious: Redline**

**Chapter One  
**_The Morning After_

The next day found Taylor passed out on her bed. She emitted a groan as she came to a state of semi-consciousness. A phone was ringing somewhere in the house. That much she was aware of. Where she was, was the problem. Taylor sat up and groaned. Sunlight bled through the blinds and caused her to shut her eyes. Her head was pounding and the constant ringing wasn't helping. Taylor stumbled to her feet and walked over to the phone.

"Hello?" she mumbled, slightly relieved that the incessant ringing had stopped. Her voice was very raspy and she had a hard time speaking.

"Good afternoon, sweet cheeks," came a familiar voice that Taylor knew she should know, but couldn't place a face with it.

_What the…_ was all she could think.

"Who's this?" she asked.

"It's me, Leon," he said with a laugh. "Don't tell me that you've forgotten me already."

"No, I haven't. It's just that my head is killing me and I don't remember anything about last night… Nothing happened, right?" she quickly asked.

Leon laughed.

"Nope. You were too drunk to walk home by yourself, so I walked you over. I helped you into your bed and left. I was the perfect gentleman."

"Good... I mean _good_ nothing happened... not I'm not interested, it's just… damn, I don't know what I'm trying to say."

Leon laughed before saying, "I understand. I wouldn't have taken advantage of you."

"That's nice to know."

"So..." Leon said. Taylor could tell that there was something on his mind.

There was a long pause. Taylor walked over to her bed and laid down with the phone in her hand.

"Uh... do you know where Toretto's is?" he asked, breaking the silence.

"Uh yeah... it's over on the other side of town, right?"

"Yeah, you go down 78 and make a right onto Parkway."

"I know where it is... why?"

"Well, I as wondering if you could meet me over there and then we could head back to the fort and hang out."

"Sure, but I thought that you lived down the street from me."

"Oh, nah. That's a house that belongs to a friend of mind.

"I see... hey Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"How'd you get my number?"

"I didn't. I left my cell phone at your place, so I would be able to talk to you again.

Taylor took the phone away from her ear and examined it. It, indeed, was a cell phone.

"Smart man," Taylor replied as she returned the phone to her ear.

"That I am. So I'll meet you over at Toretto's in an hour?"

"Sure, see ya then?"

"See ya."

Taylor dropped the cell phone on her bed and sighed. Her head pounded with every breath that she took, but she didn't care. She was ecstatic that she would be able to see the Greek god, once more.


	3. 2: Toretto's

**The Fast and the Furious: Redline**

**Chapter Two  
**_Toretto's_

Taylor killed the engine of her car and drummed her fingers nervously on the steering wheel. She was sitting outside Toretto's wondering why the hell she had even bothered coming. She had known the guy only a couple of hours, and she was about to go to his place. She ran a hand through her hair and reached for the handle of the door.

Slowly, she walked into the small café. The place was deserted. There was only one car parked outside, a red Mazda RX-7. Taylor had been eyeing the beauty as she walked in. She took a seat at the bar and looked around for someone. When she found no one, she found herself wondering about the owner of the gorgeous car.

Taylor was awakened from her daydream when she heard a noise coming from the back. She glanced up just in time to see a tall dark man walking towards her. He round the counter and stood a coupled of feet in front of her.

"What can I do for you?" he asked. His voice was deep, deeper than Leon's and more appealing.

"Uh…"she said, stuttering to find the right words. Suddenly she was having a problem speaking. She stuck her hands in her back pocket and cleared her throat. Taylor looked up to see the man with a small smirk spreading across his face.

"I'm looking for Leon," she said finally.

The smile on his face faltered, but eventually became bigger.

"I remember you," he said, breaking the awkward silence. "You were at the party last night, weren't you?"

"Yeah, but I can't say that I remember you. I'm sure that I would," she replied.

His smiled widened.

"Oh really. How's that?"

Taylor felt her cheeks become red.

"Well, you're just so tall and…big…and…"

"And?" he pursued.

"And…well you're just tall," she replied, knowing the word she really meant was hot.

"That I am. My name is Dominic Toretto, but call me Dom."

He extended his hand out to her.

"I'm Taylor," she said as she shook his hand. "Taylor Vaughn."

"Nice to meet you," he said retracting his hand after she let go. "However, it would have been nice to know your name when I first met you…after what you did and all."

Taylor felt her heart stop beating. Panic flowed throughout her body. _What did I do?_

"What are you talking about?" she asked, laughing slightly.

"You don't remember?"

Taylor tried to search her brain for any recollection of the previous night's events, but she kept getting distracted. _It's that damn smile, _she thought.

"Can't say that I do," she replied anxiously.

"Well…" he started, but was interrupted by the noise of a car driving up. "There's Leon."

Taylor glanced up and saw a yellow Nissan Skyline pulling up. She turned back to Dom.

"Oh no, you don't get off that easily. You're going to tell me what happened."

"I am?"

"Yes, you are."

"Get Leon to tell you," Dom said with a smile.

"No! I mean, no, I want to hear it from you."

"Hear what from Dom?" Leon asked as he walked up behind Taylor.


	4. 3: Hanging at the Fort

**The Fast and the Furious: Redline**

**Chapter Three  
**_Hangin' at the Fort_

"Uh…nothing," Dom said. "I was just messin' with her."

Leon nodded slowly. "You ready to go?" he asked Taylor.

"Yeah," Taylor said as she climbed off the stool.

"Leon, Jake called, so don't be gone too long. We need to leave before sunset."

Leon sighed. "All right, I'll be back by then."

As Taylor and Leon walked out to their cars, Taylor asked, "What was that about?"

Leon was silent.

"Leon, you all right?"

"Do you want to take my car or yours?" he asked as if he hadn't heard her previous questions.

_Okay, that was a quick topic change,_ Taylor thought.

"Yours is fine," she said with a fake smile.

"Okay, get in," Leon said, motioning to the passenger side of the Skyline.

Leon and Taylor walked into the 'fort' together. They found Jesse sitting on the floor playing 'Halo' on Xbox. Leon kicked his foot to get his attention.

"Huh?" Jesse asked as he pressed pause.

"Jess, this is Taylor. Taylor, this is Jesse. He works with Dom and me at the garage."

Jesse stood up and shook Taylor's hand. "Hey."

"Hi," Taylor said as she released his hand.

"Oh," Leon said as if he had just remembered something. "We're on for tonight, Jess."

Jesse nodded and returned to his game. Taylor decided to not ask questions. 'If he wants me to know, he'll tell me,' she thought.

Taylor and Leon spent the rest of the day goofing off around the house. When Leon dropped her off at Toretto's to get her car, she couldn't help but wonder about his plans for the night.

Right before Leon drove off, he said, "Do you want to come to the garage tomorrow?"

Taylor thought about it for a couple of seconds.

"Yeah, I don't have anything planned for tomorrow."

"Great, I'll pick you up in the morning around 8," he said before pulling away from the curb.

Taylor waved good-bye before sighing.

"Girl, what have you gotten yourself into?" she asked herself aloud before getting into her car.


	5. 4: Sandwich Guy

**The Fast and the Furious: Redline**

**Chapter Four  
**_Sandwich Guy_

Taylor climbed out of Leon's car and walked with him over to Vince's car.

Vince stepped out of his car.

"Talk to me, Jesse. This ain't workin', brother."

"It's your fuel map," Jesse replied. "It's got a nasty hole. That's why you're unloading in third."

"I told ya it was third," Leon said to Vince.

"Shut up," Vince replied.

Vince pointed at Leon, who smiled and wrapped an arm around Taylor.

"I can lengthen the injector pulse another millisec and just tune the NOS times. You'll run nines. Huh?"

Taylor watched as V pointed out a small red truck across the street. Everybody looked over at the truck.

"What's up with this fool? What is he, sandwich crazy?" Vince asked.

Everybody began to walk inside.

"Nah, V. He ain't here for the food, dawg."

Taylor poked Leon in the side.

_What?_ Leon mouthed.

"Chill out, bro. He's just slingin' parts for Harry man," Letty said.

"I know what he's slingin'," Vince replied.

"He's tryin' to get in Mia's pants, dog," Leon commented.

Taylor laughed.

"What's up guys?" Mia asked as everyone walked into the store.

Everyone said their hellos and walked around.

Taylor watched as Letty walked over to Dom and asked him a question. It was then that she put two and two together and realized that they were a couple. Dom hadn't been at the garage all day, so Taylor was unsure of which guy in the team Letty was with. She figured that it would be Dom, but didn't want to make any incorrect assumptions.

_He seems different,_ Taylor thought to herself. Dom looked more stoic today than yesterday.

"You have fun at the garage today?" Leon asked, pulling Taylor from her thoughts.

"It was alright," Taylor replied with a smile. She was about to say more, but she saw Vince sit down next to 'sandwich guy.' Leon got quiet as well. The tension in the room rose significantly.

"Ah, he's beautiful," Jesse said as he put a pair of sunglasses up to the ones he already had on.

"I like his hair cut," Leon said while stuffing some chips into his mouth.

Taylor tried not to laugh at the two guys' analysis of 'sandwich guy' but failed miserably. Mia called out Vince's name while he and 'sandwich guy' stared each other down.

"What?" Vince asked.

"Can I get you anything?"

"You look good," V said as his eyes roamed her body.

"Well, thanks a lot, Mia," 'sandwich guy' said as he paid. "See you tomorrow."

"Sure," Mia replied.

"Tomorrow?" Vince asked himself.

"Oh I love this part," Leon said to Jesse and Taylor.

"What part?" Taylor whispered, unsure of what was to come.

"You'll see," Jesse said matter-of–factly.

"Yo!" Vince said as he stood up to follow 'sandwich guy.'

Several customers that were outside eating looked up and decided that it was best to pay and leave.

"Try Fatburger from now on. You can get yourself a double cheese with fries for $2.95, faggot."

"I like the tuna here."

"Bull shit, asshole," Vince said. "No one likes the tuna here."

"Yeah, well I do," the guy said as he tried to get in his car.

Taylor watched as Vince pushed the guy into his truck. The guy came back with a left punch that his V in the jaw. Vince then rammed the guy in the stomach and into the side of the truck. At this point, the team began to wander out of the store to get a better view of the fight.

"Jesus Christ, Dom! Would you get out there? I'm sick of this shit! I'm not kidding, Dom! Get out there," Mia screamed.

Dom slowly stood up from his chair. Taylor felt slightly intimidated.

"What'd you pit on that sandwich?" Dom asked as she watched the fight.

Taylor gave Leon a questioning glance. She didn't get it.

"That's really funny," Mia spat.

"Dom!" Letty said, interrupting the two's conversation.

"All right," Dom replied before charging out of the store. He almost knocked over Taylor on his way out.

"You all right?" Leon asked.

Taylor nodded. The two guys continued to fight, but Dom pulled off 'sandwich guy' and threw him onto the back of Vince's Maxima.

"Hey, man, he was in my face," the guy replied, holding his hands up.

"I'm in your face," Dom spat.

Vice tried to go at the guy again, but Dom pushed him off.

"Relax! Don't push it. You embarrass me!" Dom screamed.

Leon came up and shoved Vince back toward the store. "Get over there."

"Jesse, give me the wallet," Dom said.

Taylor walked over to Vince and checked his hands for cuts. Leon stood beside her.

"What were you doin'?" Leon asked Vince.

V remained silent.

"Hey, Mia? You got a first aid kit?" Taylor asked.

Mia nodded and walked into the office.

"You fight often?" Taylor asked as she looked over V's knuckles. They had scars all across them.

Mia came back with the first aid kit. Taylor cleaned up Vince hand with some peroxide, but there was nothing more she could do. When Taylor finished, they all walked over to Letty. Vince tried to approach the guy again, but Letty pushed him back.

"You were just fired," Dom said as the guy walked back to his car. The guy had nothing to say, so he got in his car and sped off. As the team walked back inside, Dom said, "Jesse. I want you to get information on Brian Earl Spilner."

"All right," Jesse replied.

Dom walked into his office and as an after thought he looked back out at the office at Taylor. "You all right?" he asked, referring to him almost knocking her over.

Taylor smiled and said, "I'm fine."

Dom nodded and walked back into his office, slamming the door in the process. He then picked up the phone.

"You never answered my question," Taylor said as she sat next to V at the counter.

"I fight every chance I get," Vince said as he ran a thumb over his knuckles.

Taylor nodded and got up from the counter and walked over to Leon, who was talking to Jesse.

"Stuff like this happen everyday?" she asked with a smile.

"Nah, you just happen to come on a good day," Leon said laughing.

"Ah, I see."

"Listen, if you're not doing anything tonight, you wanna go to the race with us?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, I can do that," Taylor replied.


	6. 5: The Snowman's Bet

**The Fast and the Furious: Redline**

**Chapter Five  
**_The Snowman's Bet_

Taylor double-checked her outfit in the mirror to make sure it was flawless. She fidgeted nervously wither her red mini-skirt. She also wore a black tub top and black boots that came up to her calves. She had left her hair down, and wore dark make-up. Mainly black mascara and eyeliner with gray shimmery eye-shadow. Her purpose was to draw attention to her eyes, and she thought she had done quite well. She grabbed her keys and walked out of her house, skipping slightly.

As she climbed into her car, she heard a car coming down the road. Taylor stepped out of her car and watched as Leon's car pulled into her driveway.

"I could have driven, ya know," she said with a smile as Leon got out of his car. She placed her hands on her hips and watched him approach her. Quickly, she glanced over what he was wearing. He wore a button-up black shirt with loose blue jeans. A black beanie sat atop his head and another shirt was hanging out of his back pocket.

"I know. I just wanted to see you before everyone else did," he admitted.

"Oh."

Her smile grew bigger as Leon wrapped his arms around her waist. She ran her hands down his blue jersey and placed a small kiss on his lips.

"My heart's been broken once, Leon," she whispered. "I don't know if I could survive it being broken again."

Leon leaned back a bit and looked her in the eyes. A look of pain ran through her dark blue eyes for a brief second.

"I won't hurt you, Taylor," Leon said honestly.

"That's good," she said with a small smile as she played with the hem of his jersey.

"Come on, let's go to the race," he said as he took her hand in his and began to walk toward the Skyline.

* * *

Butterflies danced across Taylor's stomach as they pulled up to the races. The cars were in a V formation with Dom leading them.

"You ever been to one of these before?" Leon asked, breaking the silence.

"No, it's my first time," she admitted, a little embarrassed.

Leon stopped the car and they both stepped out of it and watched as Letty scared off a couple of skanks.

"She always like that?" Taylor asked as she stepped closer to Leon.

She felt a little intimidated by all the girls running around with barely any clothes on.

"Yep," Leon replied before he wrapped his arms around Taylor and sat his chin on top of her head. Taylor felt Leon's chest against her back and smiled. She was beginning to really like being around him.

"Okay, Hector," Dom called out.

A Hispanic man walked up to Dom.

"Yeah? What's up, man?"

A black man walked up to the two of them and they began to talk about the races and how it would be set up. Taylor stood there watching them. She tensed up a bit when she saw Brian approaching the group of men.

"Oh shit," she heard Leon mumble.

"Hey, wait. Hold up," Brian called out. "I don't have any cash, but I do have the pink slip to my car."

"Hey, you just can't climb in the ring with Ali 'cause you think you box," Jesse said as he approached the group as well.

"He knows I can box," Brian said pointing to Vince.

Taylor turned slightly and looked at Vince, who didn't look too happy. She gave him a small smile when he looked over in her direction. He returned it with a nod before glaring back at Brian.

"So check it out," Brian said. Taylor attention immediately returned back to him. "It's like this. I lose, the winner takes my car, clean and clear. But if I win, I take the cash, and the respect.

"Respect," Dom said, laughing.

The crowd began to laugh.

"To some people, that's more important," Brian replied.

For Taylor, that bumped Brian up on her list. She didn't see Brian as the bad guy like the rest of the team did. Part of her knew that he was a really good guy.

"That your car?" Dom asked.

Brian nodded and the crowd moved toward the car.

Taylor and Leon walked slowly over to Brian's car. She wasn't in any big rush to get to the car because she knew that she wouldn't understand any of the mumbo-jumbo that they would be talking about.

"What's with the toothpick?" Taylor asked as she took it out of Leon's mouth.

"Give it back," he said with a smile.

"Nope," she replied as she held it away from him.

Leon laughed and wrapped his arms around Taylor's waist.

"Why should I?" she asked playfully.

Leon leaned over and kissed Taylor on the lips. When he finished, she said, "You can have it back now.

Leon replied with a laugh and took it from her hand before placing it in his mouth. Taylor turned around to look at Brian's car, which she believed to be an Eclipse. He placed his hands on her hips and they both listened as Jesse described the parts of the car. Taylor tuned Jesse out and focused mainly on the hunk that was standing behind her. She couldn't believe that he actually was attracted to her. Her ex-boyfriend, Jarrett, had drilled it into her head that she was lucky for him to be dating her and that no one else would ever wanted. Over the two years that they had been dating that she had begun to believe it. She cursed herself for ever dating him, but then she remembered that if she hadn't of met Jarrett then she wouldn't have met Leon. For it was because of Jarrett that she was walking down that strip of beach the day Leon and her met.


	7. 6: Oh God

**The Fast and the Furious: Redline**

**Chapter Six  
**_Oh God_

Taylor snapped out of her mini-day dream and watched as Jesse popped the hood to Brian's Eclipse.

"I see a cool-air intake. It's got a NOS-fogger system and a T-Four turbo, Dominic. I see an AIC controller. It has direct port injection…"

"Yeah, and a stand-alone fuel management system," Dominic said, interrupting Jesse. "Not a bad way to spend ten thousand dollars."

"You see that shit?" Edwin exclaimed. "He's got enough NOS in there to blow himself up, period."

"Yeah," Dom replied.

"So, what do you say?" Brian asked. His excitement was evident through the way he moved. "Am I worthy?"

"We don't know yet," Dom said with a smile. "But you're in. Let's go."

The crowd cheered before dispersing to their cars.

"You wanna watch the race or go with me?" Leon whispered into Taylor's ear as they headed back to the Skyline.

"I'll go with you," she replied without missing a beat.

"You sure?" he asked. "You could ride over with V."

"I'm fine," Taylor said with a smile. "Besides I have a feeling Dom's already won."

Leon laughed as they continued toward his car. They climbed into it and a comfortable silence filled the car as they headed over to Hawthorne Street. Leon parked his car to where he was blocking off part of the intersection. Taylor nudged him softly as she saw another car approaching them.

"What the hell's goin' on around here?" a pizza guy asked as he could partially out of his car.

"Street's closed, pizza boy. Find another way home," Leon replied, motioning for the pizza boy to get back on his way.

"Damn street racers," pizza boy said before he climbed back into his car and drove off.

A small giggle emitted from Taylor as Leon began to pay attention to the police scanner.

"What?" he asked.

Taylor shook her head and peered out the passenger's side window. People all around her were exiting their cars and heading toward the sides of the street. There was a feeling of excitement in the air. Taylor didn't quite understand it. Why would people get excited if they already knew who was going to win? Maybe it was the thought that Dom was king for one more day. Oh how she wished that she could be at the race in which he was finally dethroned. What a sight that would be.

"Log on 22, code three. Tension is high. They've blocked the streets." The sound of the police scanner filled the car and Taylor turned her body to where she was facing Leon. She studied his features as he turned the volume up on the scanner. There was a sense of seriousness on his features that she found incredibly attractive.

"You sure you don't want to watch?" Leon asked.

Taylor smiled and ran a hand through her hair. "Leon, I'm fine."

"Okay," he replied as he put a hand on her knee.

Chills ran up and down her spine, but Leon didn't seem to notice. The police scanner was speaking once again.

"…in a public place. We had a reported homicide, 187, at Barbarian Liquors."

Leon reached for the walkie-talkie that sat in between the driver and passenger's seat. He pressed the button down and began to talk into it.

"I've got a 187 in Glendale. Cops are all over it, man. We're good to roll."

"All right," a man replied.

"Let's race!" Leon said before putting the walkie-talkie down.

The Skyline was parked pretty close to the finish line so Taylor kept her eyes on the road. The sound of cars firing up filled the air. Taylor drummed her fingers on the passenger's side door and she watched everyone on the side of the street. Never before had she seen such a mixture of people. The sound of the cars seemed to get closer and closer until finally four cars whizzed past the Skyline. Dom's RX-7 ran across the finish line with Brian's Eclipse close behind it.

"Damn that was close," Leon remarked. There was a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Yeah it was," she replied. Taylor sat back in her seat and turned toward Leon. "So let me get this straight. Letty and Dom are a couple?"

"Right."

"V likes Mia, but she doesn't like him."

"Correct."

"What about you?" Taylor asked with a smile lugging at her lips.

Leon opened his mouth to respond but his police scanner began to blare.

"All available units, we have reported street racing along Hawthorne…"

Leon dove for the walkie-talkie and screamed into it, "Oh, shit! We got cops, cops, cops! Go!"

The crowd immediately began to thin out. It was as if someone had disturbed a flock of pigeons in Central Park. Leon started up his car and began to pull out.

"This happen every time?" Taylor asked as she pulled her harness across her.

Leon smiled and accelerated down a small alleyway. "You just happen to come on a good day…"

Taylor laughed and shifted in her seat. The thought that the car was going at a higher speed that she would normally go in hers, made her a little uncomfortable, but she hoped it didn't show.

"I seem to be doing that a lot," she replied as she watched the buildings whiz by.

By the time Leon and Taylor arrived at the fort, the party was just starting. Cars lined both sides of the street and the driveway was completely full.

"I have to use the restroom," Taylor stated as they climbed out of the car. Leon chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist. They walked up to the house slowly. Once they entered the house, music assaulted their ears. Leon leaned in and said to Taylor, "It's upstairs. First door on the right."

"Okay," Taylor said as she began to walk up the stairs.

As she neared the top of the stairs she saw that there was a long line to the bathroom. Several guys and girls were line up against the wall doing the "bathroom dance." Taylor shook her head and headed back down stairs. There was no way she was going to wait. She could hold it. The second Taylor walked into the living room, she wished that she hadn't. Leon was sitting in a chair with a beer in one hand and a skank placed happily upon his lap. Before he could see her, Taylor bolted back upstairs. The door to the bathroom was open and someone was about to head into, but Taylor cut in front of them.

"Hey!" the girl behind her screamed as the door was slammed into her face.

"Go piss somewhere else," Taylor mumbled as she turned the lock.

As she placed her hands on either side of the sink, she looked up at the mirror. Her brown hair hung down in her face and the area around her eyes were beginning to turn red.

_How could I be so stupid? _she asked herself silently.

She should have known getting involved with a racer would be trouble, but her heart wouldn't listen. Her brain on the other hand was laughing at her now.

_Two failed relationships within a week. Grrreeeeaaatttt…_

Taylor turned the water on and held her hands underneath the water coming from the spout. A sad sigh escaped her lips as she bent her head slightly and splashed some water onto her face. When she realized that horrible feeling in her stomach wouldn't go away, no matter how many times she splashed water on her face, she dried her face off and walked over to the door. Her hand shakily turned the lock and she opened the door. Taylor squeaked as she ran smack into the chest of Brian.

"Whoa," Brian said, backing up so as to stabilize Taylor.

"Sorry," she mumbled before attempting to brush past him.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, bending his head to get a better look at her face.

"Yeah, I'm cool," she said with a forced smile, but Brian saw straight through it.

"I'm Brian," he said as he extended a hand.

"I know I was there when…" Taylor replied as she shook his hand.

"Oh you were," he said, his face turning a little red with embarrassment.

"Yeah. I'm Taylor by the way."

A silence developed over the two of them. Tears attacked the edges of Taylor's eyes and she tried her best not cry.

"What's wrong?" Brian asked.

A small part of Brian thought that Taylor was Leon's girl, but he remembered the girl in Leon's lap. Confusion overwhelmed his brain, so he merely shook it and waited for her answer.

"I was just stupid, that's all," Taylor replied.

Everything clicked in Brian's head. Taylor was Leon's girl. _Was_ being the key word.

"I'm sorry," he replied. "But it does seem as though Leon was the stupid one, not you."

Taylor wiped at the tears that were running down her cheeks. She was slightly embarrassed at the thought of her crying in front of a complete stranger.

"Thanks," she whispered with a forced smile.

"You're welcome. Look, I hate to do this, but I gotta get back downstairs, but if you need anything, just come get me."

"All right."

Brian nodded and walked downstairs.

_I've got to get home, _Taylor thought. _But that means I have to go downstairs…_

Taylor took a deep breath and started to walk down the stairs. Dom and Letty were heading up to stairs toward their room.

"Hey Taylor," Dom called out to her as she walked past them.

Taylor halfway waved before descending down the rest of the stairs.

"Oh, would you cut this shit already? Come on!" Mia screamed as Taylor reached the base of the stairs. She watched the scene unfold in front of her. Mia ran up to Vince, who was standing in front of Brian, and pushed him out the way before taking her place next to Brian.

"Come on. Let's go get a drink," Mia said to Brian.

"Aw, come on, Mia," Leon said. "We were just about to get along."

"Yeah," Jesse replied hoping to get back on Mia's good side.

Taylor slipped past the stairs and started to head toward the kitchen, but was intercepted by Leon.

"Hey Taylor," he said attempting to wrap his hands around her waist.

She shrugged out of his grasp and continued walking toward the kitchen.

"What the hell?" Leon said, mystified.

Vince silently pointed over to the skank who had been on Leon's lap earlier.

"You don't think she…" Leon started to say.

Vince nodded in reply. Leon ran a hand through his hair as he walked toward the kitchen. When he didn't find Taylor, he walked outside, where he found Taylor sitting on top of the picnic table, sipping a beer. Sheepishly, Leon walked up to her.

"I'm sorry," he said, hoping that she would take his apology.

"Not good enough," she said before taking another sip of the Corona.

Leon sat on the table next to her and looked at her side profile.

"Aw, come on, Taylor. What else do you want me to say?" he asked, a bit baffled at her response.

Taylor turned her head and glared at Leon. She was highly pissed and her heart was aching. So badly had she wanted Leon to be the guy that would treat her right. But oh how wrong she was. The ache in her heart now was worse than the ache in her heart when Jarrett had left her.

"I don't know. I really don't," she said softly. "I was gone for five minutes. Five minutes, Leon. And yet that small amount of time was enough time for you to forget all about me and attached yourself to some blonde bimbo."

"That was harsh," was all the Leon could think to say in return.

"But it's the truth," Taylor whispered. "I told you, Leon. My heart's been broken once. I can't have it broken a second time. And what you don't seem to understand is that you were wrong. I was your date. I was the one who was supposed to be in your lap, not her. But you don't seem to grasp that concept. I think you have gone too long just screwing whoever that you've forgotten how to stay loyal. That's something that you need to work on, and until then…well, let's just see if you can get your issue worked out first."

"Taylor…"

"Leon, just go. Please," she said as she placed her head in her hands.

Leon growled and got off the table, knocking the chair in front of him over in the process. Taylor sighed before taking another sip from her beer. As Leon walked into the house, Vince walked out. Taylor sat her beer down on the table and put her head in her hands. She looked up when Vince knocked her beer over.

"I was gonna drink that," she said as she picked it up, thankful that none had spilt on her.

Vince jumped slightly. "Didn't see you there," he mumbled as an excuse.

"S'okay. What's wrong?"

Vince sat down in the chair that was closest to Taylor.

"The punk, that's all."

"Why don't you like him?" she asked.

"Cause he likes Mia," he confessed.

Taylor giggled slightly, but stopped when she saw Vince glaring over at her.

"Do you realize how childish you sound? You sound like a third grader arguing over a crayon. You and Brian are the third graders and Mia is the crayon. Doesn't that make you feel kind of stupid?"

Vince shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not just that. I don't trust him."

They sat in silence for a moment or two before Taylor spoke.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes…no…I don't know."

Taylor smiled and laid a hand on Vince's shoulder. "You just don't trust people quickly, that's all. Give Brian a week or two. Everything will blow over, you'll see."

"I hope so," Vince replied, sounding very sincere. So sincere that it slightly shocked Taylor. "Why are you out here?"

Taylor sighed before answering. "I trusted someone that I shouldn't have?"

"Leon?"

"Yep."

"Is that why he stormed in?"

"Yeah."

Vince laughed whole-heartedly and Taylor gave him a questioning look.

"Leon's the calm one of the team," he explained. "It takes a lot to get him riled up, ya know?"

Taylor smiled slightly.

"I think he likes you."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, he wouldn't have gotten so pissed off if he didn't."

"I hope you're right, V," Taylor replied. She really hoped that things between her and Leon would work about, but then again there was that nagging reminder of Leon's sense of loyalty. His loyalty for the team was unbreakable. His loyalty for a girl? A girl that he liked? Well, that loyalty seemed as if it had a little leeway.

"I hope I am too," Vince said, placing his hand on hers.

"You've got a lot of scars on your knuckles," she commented, taking his hand in hers and examining his knuckles. "How'd you get them?" Taylor was truly intrigued.

"I got into a huge ass fight at a bar. I ended up winnin', but I almost killed one of the guys. I then was arrested and sentenced to a year at Lompoc."

"When was this?" she asked, letting go of Vince's hand.

"'Bout a year ago," Vince replied.

Taylor scooted back on the picnic table and sighed. "You know Vince, you don't trust people enough and I trust people too easily. I think we would make a fine couple," she said jokingly.

"Nah, I can't do that."

"And why not?" she asked with a smile.

"Leon would kill me for takin' his girl."

"Oh…"

Silence floated over them. They both sat there listening to the music from the house.

"I think I need another beer," Taylor said with a heavy sigh. She stood up from the picnic table and stood next to Vince, who was also standing up from his seat.

"Me too. After we get one, I'll drive ya home," Vince offered.

"Nah, that's okay. I'll take a cab."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, V. I'm sure, but thanks anyways."

"No prob," Vince replied as they walked into the kitchen.

Taylor opened the door to the fridge door and leaned in to get two beers. When she had them in her hands, she heard someone enter the kitchen. She peeked over the fridge door and found a pair of green eyes staring at her.

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, V, could you call me a cab?" Taylor asked, looking around Leon.

"Sure," Vince replied.

"Don't," Leon stated. "I'll take her."

Taylor sighed and placed the beers back in the fridge.

"No, you've had too much to drink. Call me a cab, V…"

"Don't do it."

"My God, Leon, I'm taking a cab home."

"I'll leave you two alone," Vince said as he placed the phone on the counter. He slipped out of the kitchen quietly and left them by their selves.

"I'm sorry," Leon said, steeping forward and placing his hands on Taylor's hips.

"I know you are."

"You still need a ride home?" he asked.

"Maybe." She was finding it harder and harder to stay mad at Leon. The look in Leon's eyes was killing her. It was one of pleading.

With a sigh, Taylor shut the fridge door. "No," she replied as she ran her hand through her hair. "Just don't do it again."

Immediately, she knew that she was letting him off too easily, but for some reason she really didn't care.

Leon raised his hands in the air and said, "I promise."

"Yeah, yeah. You said that last time, remember?" she said, taking a step toward him.

Leon smiled and wrapped his arms around Taylor's neck. He placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Wanna go back to the party?" he asked once he stopped the kiss.

"If you want to," Taylor replied.

"Actually…" A devious smile crossed onto Leon's face and he moved his hands down to Taylor's hips. "I had other plans in mind."

"Oh, really?"

"Really," he said as he took Taylor's hands and walked out of the kitchen with her, heading toward his room.

* * *

Taylor rolled over onto her stomach and squinted her eyes. The alarm clock on the stand next to her said one o'clock in the afternoon. A groan escaped from her lips as she forced herself to sit up on the bed. Her whole body was tired, even though the most strenuous activity that she had done the day before was lift a beer bottle to her lips. 

"'Bout time you woke up," Leon said with a chuckle as he entered the room. The light from the hallway entered Leon's pitch-black room and caused Taylor to squeeze her eyes shut. Her head was throbbing and the light wasn't helping all that much.

Her eyes began to slowly get used to the amount of light in the room. A small smile came onto her face. "You could have woken me earlier." Her voice was raspy and low.

"Yeah, but you looked so beautiful sleeping."

Taylor rolled her eyes, but could not help the blush that was creeping onto her cheeks. She watched as Leon dug around in the drawers in his dresser. He seemed to be searching for something, but wasn't finding what he wanted. Once he found what he wanted, he pulled the clothes from the dresser and handed them to her.

"Here, put these on and I'll take you over to your place."

Taylor's eyes skimmed over the articles of clothing in her hands. There was a white wife beater and blue pair of basketball shorts. She slipped out of the bed wearing only her bra and underwear. Despite Leon's advances, Taylor just couldn't do the deed. She was shaking slightly as she felt Leon watching her. He was standing in the doorway with a mysterious look on his face. Taylor tried her best to figure out what it was, but it was useless. As soon as he realized that she was watching him, it disappeared.

"Ya mind?" she asked as she began to slip her shorts on. Now that she was out of the bed, she was feeling a little modest standing in the middle of the room in a skimpy bra and underwear.

"I like that tattoo," Leon commented, ignoring her previous statement.

Taylor smiled as she slipped the shorts on and reached for the shirt, which sat on the edge of the bed. The tattoo, a black dragon curled around a silver blade, was situated on her left hip

"Why'd you pick a dragon?"

She slipped on the wife beater before pulling her hair up into a messy ponytail. "I don't know. I thought it was cute."

Taylor ran a hand over her the tattoo absentmindedly before bending down and picking up her clothes from the night before.

"I like it," Leon said. A flicker of something ran through his eyes, but she couldn't tell what it was.

"Thanks." A smile spread onto her face.

"Ready to go?" he asked as Taylor walked up to him.

"Yeppers."

The two walked up the stairs and into the living room.

"So, why do you live downstairs?" Taylor asked as they entered the living room.

Leon shrugged. "Just not enough room up stairs, I guess. Plus, when I'm down there, I have to hear Dom and Letty making up after a fight."

"I heard that," Dom said as he walked into the room and sat down on the couch.

Leon laughed and walked out of the house with Taylor right behind him.

* * *

Taylor climbed out of Leon's car and walked to the mailbox so that she could grab the mail. 

"You got your keys?" Leon asked as they both walked up to the front of the house.

"They're in my boots," she commented before reaching into the boots, which were in her hands, to grab the keys. Taylor was bare foot and the concrete was a little hot, seeing as it was mid summer. She heard Leon laugh because she was skipping slightly so that her toes wouldn't burn to death. Once Taylor was inside, she knew that there was something wrong. She sensed that someone was in the house.

"Hello?" she called out.

"Kinda late to just be getting in, don't ya think," a man called out from the living room.

"Shit," Taylor hissed.

"Who's here?" Leon asked, a bit alarmed.

Taylor sat her mail and clothes down on the table nearest her.

"What in the _hell _are you doing here?" she spat as she charged into the living room.

"What can I say?" a guy said from his position on the couch. "I missed you."

"Get. Out."

"Touchy, touchy. Actually darlin', I need you to get out. My name is on the lease, as you know, and I have decided to kick you out."

Taylor's jaw dropped and she felt Leon tense up next to her. He had no idea who the man in the living room, but Taylor could tell that he already didn't like the man.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"You heard me," the man said in pseudo-kind tone.

"Jarrett, there's no way in hell that you can kick me out."

"I beg to differ, sweetheart," Jarrett said, walking up to Taylor. He placed a hand on her hip and whispered into her ear, "You've got twenty-four hours to pack your stuff and get out."

He placed a lingering kiss on her cheek while staring at Leon. There was so much tension in the air, Taylor felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Remember twenty-four hours," Jarrett called over his shoulder as he walked out of the condo.

"Who was that?" Leon asked. There was a sense of anger in his voice.

"Old boyfriend," Taylor said as she looked around the condo. Her shoulders were shrunk in defeat.

"He the one that hurt you?" Leon asked.

"Yeah," Taylor replied as she headed toward her bedroom. "I was hoping that it wouldn't come down to this." She began to gather belongings that she wanted to keep and placed them on the bed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I knew that once Jarrett and I broke up that there was a chance that he would kick me out." She sighed and looked around the room. "I just didn't think he had the balls to do it."

"Where you gonna stay?"

Taylor shrugged and walked into her closet. "I'll find somewhere," she called out.

"Stay at the fort," Leon suggested.

"What?" she asked, coming out of the closet with clothes in her arms.

"Come stay with me at the fort."

"Leon, I can't." Taylor sat the clothes on the bed and ran a shaky hand through her hair. She let out a deep sigh and chewed on the bottom corner of her lip.

"Why not? You've got nowhere else to stay."

"I've only known you for three days, Leon. That's why."

"You can stay in the guest room upstairs," Leon said. It was apparent that he wasn't going to give in, no matter what she said.

Taylor sat down on the corner of her bed and placed her elbows on her knees. "You wouldn't mind?" Her voice sounded forced. Leon was worried that she would start crying at any minute.

"No. I'd like it if you'd stay in my room; that way I wouldn't have to sneak upstairs to see you."

Taylor felt her cheeks turn red and she placed her head in her hands.

"All right, all right," she said as she lifted her head. "But the second there is a problem, I'm moving out. Got it?"

"Got it," Leon said with a smile that could only be described as one a four-year-old would have on Christmas day.

"Will you help me pack my stuff?" she asked as she stood up from the bed.

"Sure."

* * *

Leon pulled up into the driveway and saw that Dom and Letty were playing basketball. 

"Hey Dom," Leon called out as he stepped out of the Skyline.

"Yeah," Dom said as he shot the ball toward the net. He laughed as Letty cursed when the ball went through the hoop. "Ten to four."

Letty flipped him off as he walked over to Leon.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Leon asked when Dom got closer.

"Yeah. What's up, man?"

Taylor slipped out of the Skyline and headed over toward Letty, where they started talking about something.

"It's about Taylor. She got kicked out of her place and I told her that she could stay here. That cool with you?"

Dom seemed to think about it for a while before finally nodding. "Yeah, she can stay in the guest room upstairs."

"Actually, dog, I was thinking about her staying downstairs with me."

Dom smiled. "That always works."

"Well, I'm gonna help her take her stuff inside now," Leon said to Dom before turning in Taylor's direction. "Taylor, come on. Let's take your stuff inside."

Taylor finished her conversation with Letty and then walked over to Leon. He laughed as Dom walked over to Letty and stole the ball from her. He could tell that a fight was in the workings for that night.

"So, I take it Dom said yes?" she asked wringing her hands on the bottom of her shirt.

"Yeah, I told you not to worry about it," he replied as he opened the trunk to his car.

An hour later, Leon and Taylor had managed to get all of Taylor's stuff into her room.

"I didn't think I had packed this much stuff," Taylor said as she sat the last box by the foot of the bed.

"The hard part is going to be getting all of your clothes into my closet."

"Why's that?" Taylor asked with a slight laugh.

"This is why," Leon said as he opened his closet doors.

The closet was very small. In fact, it barely held the clothes that Leon had in it.

"Yeah, that is going to be a problem. I can leave my clothes in the boxes for now," Taylor offered. "Or I can always go up to the guest room."

"That's not an option," Leon said as he moved closer to Taylor. She felt her heart speed up.

"What are you doing?" she asked when Leon placed his hands on her hips.

"Looking at you."

"Oh, really?"

Leon nodded and walked with her over toward the bed. He collapsed onto it, pulling her with him.

"I'm tired," he mumbled into his pillow.

"Tired? It's only three o'clock."

"Yeah, well I've got to head over to the garage to check on some stuff."

"Aw, poor baby," Taylor said with a soft giggle.

Leon growled and rolled over on top of her.

"Whatca going to do now?" she asked, teasing him.

"This," Leon said as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her deeply.

* * *

Taylor rolled out of the bed around six o'clock. Leon had left around three thirty to head over to the garage and she had fallen asleep almost immediately afterwards. Her whole body hummed as she walked out of his room. 

_Well_, she thought, _I guess it's _our _room now._

She was so happy that she was actually happy. Her relationship with Jarrett had been nothing but shitty since day one, but she never had the heart to leave him. She loved him. Or at least she had convinced herself that she was. The feeling that ran through her whenever she saw Leon was completely different from what she had felt with Jarrett.

Her legs carried her up the stairs though her mind was somewhere completely different. Taylor was snapped from her thoughts as she ran into someone in front of her.

"Oh, sorry!" she said as she backed up slightly.

"Nah, it's my fault," Vince replied.

Taylor ran a hand through her hair and peaked around Vince's large frame.

"Where's everybody else?"

"They're at the garage. I was just about to head over there," Vince said. "You want me to take you?"

"Sure."

"All right," he said as he scooped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his keys. "Let's go."

Taylor followed Vince out to his Maxima. Part of the ride over to the garage was a silent one, but it was a comfortable silence. Taylor finally broke the silence after a little while.

"So, uh, are you and Brian still fighting?"

A scowl immediately covered his face and Taylor couldn't help but smile.

"So I take that as a no."

Vince gave no reply, but then again she needed none. His facial expression made it clear his feelings toward Brian. Taylor sat back in her seat and closed her eyes. For some reason she had been really tired over the last few days. She had finally decided that it was stress causing her drowsiness.

Taylor felt herself slipping into the hands of unconsciousness when the sound of screeching tires filled the air. The last thing she heard before being knocked out was, "Oh God."


	8. 7: A Visit to St Catherine's and More

**The Fast and the Furious: Redline**

**Chapter Seven  
**_A Visit to St. Catherine's and More_

Leon wiped his brow and looked around the garage. He had been working on a '98 Toyota Supra for the last hour and a half and he had made very little progress. The punk who owned the car had screwed the car up and was now using 'daddy's money' to pay for it. Oh how he hated kids like that.

Dom walked out of the office and laughed at Leon.

"Still not working right?"

"Nah, the kid screwed this car up."

Dom patted Leon on the back. "And it has to be done in two days."

Leon groaned. The phone in the office began to ring and Dom headed toward the office.

"Hey, Leon, after I answer this, I'll give ya hand."

"Thanks, dog," he called out to Dom's retreating figure.

Leon ran a hand through his hair and looked at the engine of the car. He practically wanted to scream. Never before had he grimaced at the thought of working on a car. Usually he was glad when he had to work on a car that needed a lot of work, but this car was not the case. This car was hell.

Just as Leon was about to start working on the car again, Dom stormed out of the office and screamed, "We gotta get to the hospital."

* * *

Leon found himself pacing in the waiting room of St. Catherine's Memorial Hospital. His stomach was twisted into knots. Vince sat in a plastic chair across from Leon.

"Leon, man, that car came out of nowhere."

There was no reply. Leon wasn't sure if he was capable of replying. His mind was going in some many directions at one time that he knew whatever he would say wouldn't make sense.

"Leon, say something man," Dom said from his seat next to Vince's. "You're going crazy keeping everything bottled up."

Leon stopped pacing and looked over at the team who were sitting in the plastic chairs across from him. They all watched him with looks of concern.

"What happened?"

Vince clenched his jaw. "One second, everything was fine. I went through the intersection once the light turned green and then Bam! It hit her side within seconds of me seeing. The last thing I remember saying before the car slammed into us was, 'Oh God.' I should have done something. I should have hit the brakes or sped up to get out of the way."

Silence again filled the air as Leon took in all of the information. It was way more than he could handle at the moment. He had no clue why he felt the way he did toward Taylor.

"I've known her for three days," he said finally.

The whole team looked as if they were hanging on every word he said.

"If she dies…"

Leon couldn't finish the thought. It was just way too much to think about.

"She'll be okay," Mia said. She stood up from her seat and walked over to him.

It nearly broke her heart when she saw tears forming up in the corner of his eyes. She began to tear up just seeing him in this state.

"I sure hope so, Mi," he replied as his eyes fell to the floor.

"I need to speak to a relative of Taylor Hughes," a doctor said as she entered the waiting room.

Leon practically ran over to the doctor.

"I'm her boyfriend," he said.

The doctor looked him over for a second or two before looking down at the clipboard in her hands.

"Do you mind if we talk in private?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Leon became extremely nervous as the doctor led him to a secluded part of a hallway.

"Doc, you gotta tell me what's up," he said, not able to take the silence any longer.

"My name is Dr. Cavanaugh, and I've been overseeing Ms. Hughes since she came to St. Catherine's Memorial. Now, Ms. Hughes is at this point unconscious and has been since she came to the hospital. There was very little internal damage and there are a few lacerations on her face and arms. She broke her wrist, however. Once she wakes up, you'll be able to go in and speak to her."

Leon let out a breath that he didn't know that he had been holding.

"When do you think that she'll be awake?"

"That's hard to tell," she said after thinking for a moment. "It could be five minutes from now to four weeks from now."

Leon's shoulders shrank a little in defeat.

"What's wrong with her? I mean, why don't you guys know?"

"You girlfriend seems to have been very exhausted within the past couple of weeks. Her body's resetting itself is the best I can come up with. She was also dehydrated a bit so we put her on an IV to get some fluids back in her and it appeared that she hadn't eaten in a while. When she wakes up, I'll be sure to inform her of the consequences of not eating or drinking properly. I just ask that for a little while that you monitor her eating and drinking and make sure she gets plenty of rest."

"Thanks, Doc," he said softly.

As he started to walk back toward the rest of the team, the doctor stopped him.

"Y-you can go in and see her now, if you want," she said adjusted the clipboard in her hands.

Leon smiled.

"Thanks, Doc."

"Call me, Adelyne, please. I have a feeling Doc is going to drive me crazy."

He chuckled before sticking his hands in his pockets.

"She is in room B14."

"Thanks. Well, I guess I'll see ya later."

The doctor nodded and headed walked off. Leon took a deep breath before he headed down the hall to where Taylor's room was. When he found the room, he was afraid to walk in. Afraid of what he might see once he stepped inside the room.

Hospitals had never been Leon's favorite place. The worst moments of his life were at hospitals. His father died in a hospital. His sister died in a hospital. Both Jesse and Vince almost died in a hospital. Frankly, they just gave him the creeps. After taking several moments to regain his composure, he stepped in and brought his eyes up to where Taylor was resting peacefully.

He watched silently as her chest rose up and down showing that she was still alive, despite how horrible she looked. Taylor wasn't horribly disfigured, she merely had scrapes and bruises across her face and her left arm was in a cast. Her skin, which was normally slightly tan, was a pale white that nearly blended her in with the sheets that she was lying on. Leon lowered his calloused hand and gently rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand. Emotions ran through him so fast that he wasn't sure if he wanted to know what they were.

His breath caught when he saw her eyes flutter open and stare straight up at him. He stood in a daze and wasn't snapped out of it until she spoke.

"Hey," she said with a small smile. Her voice was very hoarse and her eyes were full of sleep.

Leon knelt beside her and kissed the side of her temple. "Hey," he replied, unsure of what else to say.

A comfortable silence enveloped them and no words were said between the two until Vince walked in the door several hours later informing Leon that they had some business to finish up. Leon stood slowly and laid another kiss on her temple.

"I'll be back in the morning," he whispered to her.

She nodded in understanding and watched silently as he slipped from the room. Something was going on, that much she was sure of. Taylor didn't want to press the issue with Leon because she hadn't known him that long, but sooner or later she was going to ask about the sudden disappearing acts. She prayed that she would get a truthfully from him.

* * *

_Two weeks later:_

Leon pulled up to the garage and turned his car off. Seconds later, both he and Taylor got out of the Skyline. Taylor walked up to the side of the garage and began to read a sign that was posted. It read:

**Contractor's Pyramid:**

_Fast Plus Good Equals Not Cheap_  
_Fast Plus Cheap Equals Not Good  
__Good Plus Cheap Equals Not Fast_

Taylor let out a small laugh at the sign before being walking back over to Leon.

"Hey Mia," Leon called out. "I brought you some help."

He wrapped an arm around Taylor as Mia stepped out of the small office that was situated in the back of the garage. Her hair was pulled up haphazardly in a pony tail and she looked bored out of her mind.

"Good," she replied with a small smile. "I could use some company."

Leon smacked Taylor playfully on the butt and whispered in her ear, "Have fun."

Taylor flipped him off with her right hand. Her left arm was still in a cast and would be for another four weeks. She rolled her eyes as Leon smirked and walked over to Mia.

"What can I do for ya?" she asked.

"Well," Mia replied as she stepped into the office. "You can help me straighten up the office. Dom has completely destroyed it and there are papers everywhere. I'll be in there to help you as soon as I talk to Dom about some stuff."

"All right. I can do that."

Taylor walked up to the desk and glanced down at the invoices that were scattered all across it. She shook her head slightly and began to gather the papers. The sound of Mia and Dom talking filled her ears, and she couldn't help but ease drop.

"What about the parts and service?" Mia asked.

"Hold off on that," Dom replied.

Taylor continued to straighten up the desk while paying attention to the conversation. She felt slightly guilty for ease dropping, but she couldn't help it.

"Dom, I don't know what to do with this…"

Taylor laid some papers aside and glanced up at Mia and Dom right as a tow truck stopped outside the garage. A beat up car was sitting on the back of it. The car was destroyed. Taylor had a feeling that the car was incapable of running ever again. She slipped out of the office and stood next to Mia.

"What the hell?" she said in a low voice. Mia looked over at Taylor and gave her a look that said, 'My thoughts exactly.'

"All right, what the hell is this?" Dom asked, walking closer to the heap of junk. "What do you got there?"

"This is your car," Brian announced proudly as he motioned to the car.

Dom leaned up against the side of the garage with a beer in one hand.

"My car? I said a ten-second car, not a ten-minute car."

Jesse walked up to the car and inspected it. He beat his hand on the body of the car.

"You could push this across the finish line, or…tow it," he said, backing away from the car a bit.

Laughter filled the air, but Brian's smile never left his face.

"Couldn't even tow that across the finish line," Dom added.

Laughter again.

"No faith," Brian replied, looking a bit disappointed.

"Oh, I have faith in you, but this isn't a junkyard. This is a garage."

"Hey," Brian said, not giving up. "Pop the hood."

"Pop the hood?"

"Pop the hood," Brian confirmed.

Taylor stood next to Mia as the guys maneuvered the car off of the tow truck and into a space in the garage.

"Hey Letty," she said as she neared Letty. "You see where Leon went?"

"Uh, yeah. Dom sent him over to Harry's to pick up a few things."

Taylor nodded and waited for Jesse to finally pop the hood to the Supra. When it was finally open, the hood clattered to the floor.

"Two J.Z. engine. No shit," Jesse said, astonished. Dom, Brian, Mia, Jesse, and Taylor were all gathered around the car staring down at the engine. Taylor had a feeling that she was the only one in the garage who didn't know a thing about cars.

"And what did I tell you?" Brian asked.

"I retract my previous statement."

"You know what?" Jesse asked, getting excited. "This will decimate all after you put about fifteen grand in it…or more. If we have to, overnight parts from Japan."

"We'll put it on my tab at Harry's," Dom replied.

"Yes!"

"I gotta get you racing again so I can make some money off your ass," Dom said to Brian. A small smirk was placed upon his lips. "There's this show down in the desert called Race Wars, and that's where you'll do it." Dom started to walk off but stopped shortly thereafter. "I'll tell you what. When you're not workin' at Harry's, you're workin' here. If you can't find the right tool in this garage, Mister Arizona, you don't belong near a car."

Brian smiled and turned back to his car while Taylor headed back to the office to get some of the work finished. She faintly heard Mia say to Brian, "He owns you now."

* * *

The next couple of days were a big blur for the Team and Taylor. The Team was constantly working on the Supra. It seemed as though they spent every waking hour at the garage attempting to get the car done as soon as possible. Taylor had her work cut out for her as well. She was stuck with the job of cleaning the garage. It was an absolute mess and getting worse. Fast. Every time she cleaned out a drawer, she couldn't throw anything away because she didn't know what to keep.

"This ain't workin', Mia," Taylor said, exasperated, as Mia walked into the office.

Mia laughed. "That's okay. I was comin' in to let ya go anyways."

"Good." Taylor stood up from the desk and walked out of the office. As they did, Brian and Jesse walked into the office. Taylor immediately noticed Mia's wandering eye, but decided to say nothing about it. She knew that eventually the two of them would hook up. Mia and Brian made too cute of a couple to not get together.

As she was thinking about Mia and Brian, Leon came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Whatca thinkin' about?" he asked, sending chills down her spine. It had gotten to the point, where she loved to hear his voice. Every time he talk, it made her feel all warm and tingly inside and she was beginning to love that feeling.

"Nothing…"

Leon placed a soft kiss on her ear lobe and walked with her out to her metallic purple Toyota Celica.

"Look, I got to run to the store with V and Let. I'll see ya later on?"

"Okay," Taylor said before she kissed him good-bye.

* * *

Taylor parked her car in front of the Toretto house. She followed Mia inside and into the kitchen. It had been kind of hard learning to operate her car with only one hand, but she had managed to get along all right.

"So, what are we waiting for?" she as she hopped onto the counter.

"Well," Mia said, putting her hands on her hips. "We just have to wait until Letty and the boys get back from the store."

Taylor nodded and watched with a smile as Mia looked out the window at Brian. The sound of three cars pulling up the driveway floated into the house. Taylor walked out of the hose to help Leon carry in the groceries.

"Vince, get over here and give us a hand," Dom yelled.

She looked over to V and saw him heading to his car. It had been fixed since the wreck and now looked better than ever.

"Looks like you got all the help you need, brother," Vince called over his shoulder.

As she walked over to Leon and took a bag from him, she asked, "What was all that about?"

The two of them headed into the house.

"The punk," Leon mumbled.

Taylor sat the grocery bag on the counter and crossed her arms the best she could with a cast.

"Why do y'all keep calling him that? He's done nothing to you. Mia's head over heels about him, but y'all still have a hard time accepting him."

Leon sighed.

"It's just because he's new. We don't know him. Trust me, babe, it'll be better in a couple of weeks."

He wrapped an arm around Taylor's waist and planted a small kiss on her neck.

"Well, I'm new and y'all have an easier time accepting me."

"Y'all?" Leon asked with a smile, trying to change the subject. "You from the South?"

"Don't change the subject like that. And yes, I am. How is it that you can't stand him when you've known him for the same amount of time as me?"

He shrugged.

"Exactly." She wrapped her arms around Leon's neck. "You guys need to lighten up on him."

"Oh get a room," Letty said as she walked into the kitchen.

Taylor laughed, but never lost eye contact with Leon.

"I'll try," he whispered before he kissed her on the lips.

"All right," Mia said, breaking up the kiss as she entered the house. "Girls only. We must make dinner."

"Speak for yourself," Letty said with a laugh as she walked out of the room.

Leon kissed Taylor on the cheek before walking out.

"All right, Mia," she said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Peel those potatoes the best you can," Mia said, gesturing to a stack of potatoes.

Taylor nodded and got to work on the stack.

"Mia!" Dom called from outside an hour and a half later.

"All right all ready," Mia as she picked up the potato salad and barbeque sauce. Taylor followed behind her as she walked outside.

"The chicken's dry already," Dom said over his shoulder.

"I'm comin' out."

Taylor walked down the back stairs and over to Leon, who was playing basketball. Sweat dripped down his temples and arms. She couldn't help lick her lips before poking him in the ribs. Leon sat the basketball down. He then wrapped his arms around Taylor's waist and pulled her closer to him. After putting his head on her forehead, he stared down into her eyes.

"Did I ever tell you that I'm glad you're okay?"

She peered up at him, confused.

"The wreck," he explained.

Her features softened in understanding.

"You really had me freaked," he admitted. "For a second, I thought that I was going to lose you."

Taylor's cheeks turned red. She wasn't used to guys being this sweet to her. After all the crap she had gone through with Jarrett, Leon was an angel.

In order to shift attention away from herself, she asked, "Havin' fun playing ball?"

"Maybe you and I should play a little one-on-one," he said with a slight smirk.

Taylor smiled. "Sounds like fun. Now come on, Mr. Sweaty, it's time to eat."

"Mr. Sweaty, eh?" Leon stepped for with a look of mock aggression on his face. She stepped backwards, attempting to get away from him. "I'll show you sweaty."

Before Taylor knew what was happening, Leon had stepped forward and attempted to tackle her. She managed to get away in time and took off running. She was about to go around the picnic table when he caught up with her. Muscular arms wrapped around her waist and jerked her off her feet. A giggle escaped her lips as Leon rubbed the sweat from his temples along the side of her neck.

"Hey, you two. Cut it out," Dom called out as he placed the chicken on a plate.

Leon put Taylor back down on the ground before whispering in her ear, "It's not over yet."

The two of them walked over and sat down. Taylor peered around the table and quirked an eyebrow. Everyone was staring at the food like they wanted some, but nobody would reach in and get something. She attempted to reach in and get a roll, but Leon squeezed her knee causing her to stop. Seconds later, Jesse walked in and grabbed a piece of chicken.

"Hey, hold up," Dom said with a smile. "Because you were the first out of everybody here to reach in to get the chicken, you say grace."

"Oh," Jesse replied. Everyone clasped their hands together and bowed the head.

"Dear heavenly, uh-"

"Spirit," Leon said as he laid his head on Taylor's knee, causing sparks to shoot off throughout her body.

"Spirit. Thank you. Uh, thank you for providing us with a direct port, nitrous injection…"

Taylor opened her and looked at Jesse. She caught Dom's eye and smiled before looking at everybody else at the table.

"…four core intercoolers and ball-bearing turbos, and, um, titanium valve springs. Thank you."

"Amen," she said softly with a small smile.

Leon opened his eyes and rubbed his hand up and down her leg. She put her hand on his and then took a sip of her Corona.

"Not bad," Dom replied.

"He was prayin' to the car gods, man," Letty said with a laugh.

"If he's not the best…" Dom said, trailing off. Everyone pretty much got what he meant.

Everyone around the table began to dig into the food and put generous helpings on their plate. Taylor sat back a bit, waiting for everyone to get what they wanted before she got her food.

"What do you want?" Mia asked Taylor as she handed Letty the potato salad.

"Uh, I'll take a wing." She passed her plate over to Mia, who put the wing on the plate.

Taylor was in the middle of asking Brian for a roll, when Leon chuckled a bit.

"Look who it is," he called out. "Old Coyote 'R Us. I thought you weren't hungry, pumpkin."

Taylor nudged Leon, but he merely smiled.

"You know I gotta eat," Vince replied as he opened his arms.

"He's always hungry," Letty commented, causing Taylor to laugh.

Dom looked up at Taylor and then at Brian. "All right, sit down," Dom said, not bothering to look at Vince.

Vince kissed the back of Dom's head before heading toward his seat. Tension hung in the air. No one was really sure what to say. Taylor watched Vince as he walked past Mia.

"How you doin', Mia?" Vince asked.

Mia replied with a 'Hey' timidly. All eyes turned to Vince as he sat down and grabbed a Corona. He then took a sip of the beer, but never put his lips on the mouth of the bottle. Taylor was a bit confused, but figured that the action had something to do with Brian.

"Hey, Jesse, hand me that chicken, bro," Leon said, breaking the silence. Everyone seemed to snap out of their silent mood and continued to put food on their plate.

"Let's eat some grub, man," Letty said with a smile to Vince.

Once everyone had their food, the conversations did not stop. Taylor nibbled on her food. She wasn't very hungry due to having a big lunch at the shop earlier that day. Leon was talking to Vince about something that seemed very important. Everyone except for Brian and her were involved in a conversation, so she decided to talk to him.

"So, Brian, where ya from?"

"Tuscon, Arizona," he replied as he scooped himself a second helping of potato salad. "You?"

"Memphis, Tennessee," she said as she grabbed a roll from the basket in front of her. She pinched off a small part and stuck it in her mouth.

"What brought you here?"

Taylor swallowed the food in her mouth before replying. "Just something new, I guess. My parents really weren't thrilled about me coming out here, but it's my life. I can go where ever I want to go and they have no real saw in it. Now don't get me wrong, I heart them to death, but you gotta branch out, ya know?"

Brian nodded. "Is LA different from Memphis?"

She laughed. "Very. Memphis is _very_ low key compared to LA. What about Tuscon?"

"Very low key like you said."

The conversation kind of died then. Neither of them knew what to say, so Taylor resorted to poking at her chicken with the end of her fork.

"Something wrong with the chicken?" Leon asked.

She shook her head no. "I'm just not hungry, that's all."

Leon nodded in understanding and placed a kiss on her forehead. She smiled in return, but the smile disappeared when she looked over at Vince. He had a scowl on his face and was glaring over at Brian. Taylor merely shook her head in sadness. She wished that Leon and Vince would accept Brian, but she knew it was next to impossible.


	9. 8: Popcorn

**The Fast and the Furious: Redline**

**Chapter Five  
**_Popcorn_

Taylor passed a soapy dish to Mia as Brian brought in the last of the dishes from outside.

"Need a hand with anything else?" Brian asked as he sat the dishes down.

Taylor wiped her hands on a towel and turned towards Mia. "You still need me?" she asked, wanting to give Mia and Brian some time alone.

Mia shook head no before answering Brian. "No, I'm good. You can go join the boys watchin' the movie."

Taylor stepped out of the kitchen with a smile on her face.

"What?" Leon asked as he pulled her down next to him.

"Nothing."

Leon wrapped an arm around Taylor as Vince walked into the kitchen to make more popcorn.

"So, what are y'all watching?" she whispered, trying not to disturb everybody else.

"Some Bruce Lee movie," Jesse said as he munched on the popcorn.

Taylor snuggled next to Leon before focusing on the movie. Martial arts movies weren't really her thing, but she decided to watch it any way.

"There's no popcorn?" Jesse asked.

Taylor looked at him in confusion. Vince stormed out of the kitchen with a look of rage displayed on his face.

"Make your own damn popcorn!" he yelled. Seconds later, the door slammed shut behind him.

Leon threw at piece of popcorn at Vince's back just before he walked out of the door. Taylor swatted his arm and then stood up, following Vince. She faintly heard Leon asking her to come back, but she ignored him. When she stepped outside, she quickly had to dodge a beer bottle, which hit the door behind her as it closed.

"Sorry," Vince mumbled. He began to pace around in the yard, kicking at bits of grass.

Taylor shook her head before walking up to him. He began to say several different obscenities. The night air was a bit chilly and she felt goose bumps decorating her arms.

"Stop it," she said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

Vince's head snapped to the side. There was a look of pure hatred in his eyes. For a second, she felt afraid.

"Calm your ass down," Taylor said with a raised voice. "Just what the hell went on it there?"

"She's going on a date with the punk," Vince screamed, gesturing wildly at the house.

"Is that _all_?"

"What do you mean, is that _all_? He's not good enough for her. Hell, I think he's a cop."

"A cop?" Taylor asked, attempting not to laugh.

"Yes, a cop!"

"Vince, where are you going to realize that she doesn't like you? I don't mean to be brutal, but someone has to say something. Brian and Mia are going to get together whether you like or not. You can do one of two things, suck it up and be happy for her or be miserable for the rest of your natural life…Which are you going to do?"

Vince stared at Taylor for a couple of seconds. He was stunned that Taylor had actually yelled at him like she had.

"Which is it, V?" she asked, not letting him get away from answering the question.

"I'll suck it up…for now. But the second he hurts her, I'll beat his punk ass to the ground. Deal?"

Taylor smiled. "Deal. Now get in there and make me some popcorn."

"Make you popcorn?" Vince asked, incredulously.

"Yes," she said with her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. Vince noticed a slight twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

"You think you can make orders like that, little girl?" Vince asked before he began to tickle her.

Leon stood up when he heard the laughter. As he opened the blinds, his heart sank to his knees. One though filled his mind, "What the?"

Taylor gasped for breath as Vince stopped his assault.

"I take it you're ticklish?" he asked with a sly grin.

"Very," she replied with a laugh.

Vince laughed and they both sat down on the front steps with their backs to the door. Leon cracked the door open slightly and listened to their conversation.

"So, you like Leon a lot?"

Taylor nodded. "I think there's some definite potential between us. He's different from anyone I've ever met, ya know? He's laid back and doesn't jump to any conclusions. I don't think I've seen him angry. That's one of those things that I love about him."

Vince elbowed Taylor lightly. "Do you love him?"

"That's hard to say. I've known him for about a month and I can't imagine ever living without him. However, he may not feel the same way."

"Don't worry, if he doesn't know, I think he will soon."

"You think?" Taylor asked, a bit unsure.

He nodded. "Definitely. How can someone not love you, Tay?"

She smiled. "You actually do have a heart, V!"

He chuckled. And said, "You tell anyone and I'll kill you. Hear me?"

"Aye, aye, Cap'n," Taylor replied with a mock salute.

Vince threw an arm around her shoulders and ruffled her hair.

"Quit it," she replied, giggling.

"Aw, do you want me to stop?" he asked, mocking her.

"Yes."

"Okay." Vince stopped messing with her hair and stood up from the steps before offering her a hand. Taylor accepted it and stood up.

Leon took a deep breath before opening the door all the way. Taylor smiled when she saw him. A stab of guilt hit Leon for thinking that she would like Vince.

"Sup, dog?" Vince asked before heading back inside. Needless to say, he was in a better mood than when he had walked out of the house earlier.

"Night, Cap'n," Taylor called after him.

"Night, Tay."

Leon stood on the front porch watching Taylor. Her hair was in disarray and her checks had a red tint to them.

"What's up?" she asked as she closed the gap between them. She placed her hands on his shoulders.

Leon smiled slightly and put his hands on her hips. "Nothing, just looking."

"Oh, that's good. See anything interesting?"

"As a matter of fact I do. I see this gorgeous girl, who goes by the name Taylor. Have you heard of her?"

Taylor pretended to think.

"I don't think I have," she said with a smile.

"You haven't? Well, that's a shame. I think you'd like her."

"I guess I'll have to meet her later."

"Yeah, you should definitely do that," he replied with a smile tugging at his lips.

"Well," Taylor said after a while. "What are we going to do till them?"

Leon smiled and kissed her on the lips. "I can think of a few things."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, but they don't involve us being in plain view of the whole neighborhood."

"That's good," Taylor replied, giggling.

"You think so? How 'bout we head downstairs for a while?"

"I like that idea."

"Me too," Leon said as they both walked into the house.

* * *

Taylor curled into her pillow as she heard Leon coming down the hall. Dom had stopped the couple from going down the stairs. He said that he needed to talk to Leon about something. Taylor merely shrugged it off and headed downstairs, but now that she was alone that was all that she could think about. Something big was going on and it seemed that everybody knew about it but her and Brian. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms tighter around the pillow. Part of her wanted to ask him what was going on, but the other part told her that she shouldn't.

The door creaked open and Leon stepped into the room. A small smile crawled onto Taylor's lips as Leon crawled up to her from the end of the bed. He wrapped his arms around her frame and placed a light kiss on the spot right below her ear. Taylor rolled over and melted into him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, when he noticed that she was a little distracted.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking that's all."

"'Bout what?"

"You, of course," she replied with a wan smile, but Leon wasn't buying it.

"Baby, what is it really?"

Taylor sighed and put her head against his chest. "There's something I want to ask you, but I don't know if it's my place."

He pulled her closer to him and sighed. "You can ask me anything."

She moved her head and peered up at him. "What's goin' on? What were you and Dom talking about?"

Silence hung in the air. Taylor waited nervously for the answer. When Leon didn't speak, she sat up and walked out of the room. She didn't know why, but part of her was livid.

"Taylor…" Leon called out to her, but she was chose to ignore him. Curious looks were thrown her way when she walked into the living room.

"I'll be back later," she mumbled as she began to walk out of the front door. Leon entered the living room and called out her name. She looked at him one last time before shutting the door and heading out to her Celica.

Leon ran out of the house as she pulled out of the driveway and drove off. She was pissed, yet confused. Pissed because Leon didn't tell her, but confused because she didn't know if she had a right to be pissed.

An hour and a half later, she pulled into the driveway of the house that she used to share with Jarrett. There was a party going on so hopefully Jarrett wouldn't notice that she was there. Hopefully being the key word. Taylor took her shoes off in the car and walked down to the beach slowly. Her toes dug into the sand with each step she took. Memories came flooding back to her at full force.

* * *

_Taylor giggled as Jarrett chased her down the stretch of beach in behind their house. Seconds later, she was tackled and hit the sand with a grunt. _

"_I love you," he whispered to her as he laid a kiss onto her stomach._

_She ran her hands through his hair and sighed. "I love you too, baby."_

_The two lay in the sand for what seemed like hours. Taylor allowed a huge smile to appear on the face because she felt truly happy. It seemed at that moment that nothing could ever go wrong._

**Three weeks later:**

_Taylor threw her keys down on the table beside the front door and shrugged off her purse._

"_I'm home." She had just gotten back from shopping at the mall. It was six o'clock at night and the sun was just beginning to set._

_When no answer came, she quirked an eyebrow and peered out the front window. Sure enough, Jarrett's car was parked in front of hers. _

"_Jarrett, baby?" she called out._

_Slowly, she walked to the room that she and Jarrett shared. In their room, she found Jarrett resting peacefully on the bed. Taylor smiled and approached the bed, but stopped when she noticed another figure lying alongside Jarrett._

"_You bastard," she whispered when Jarrett opened his eyes._

_He sat up, a bit startled a being caught. "Sweetie, what are you doing home so early?"_

_Taylor glared at him, but said nothing._

_He gathered the sheets around him and glanced over at the girl lying next to him. "She doesn't mean anything."_

_A laugh fell from Taylor's lips as she walked out of the room. Jarrett followed after her. He had ripped the sheet from the bed and it was now wrapped around him. "You've got to believe me."_

_Taylor turned suddenly. "Why?"_

_Jarrett froze in his spot and watched as tears fell from her eyes. "I…"_

"_Tell me the truth, J."_

_He sighed before turning his brown eyes toward her. "Because I don't love you anymore."_

_Taylor felt her heart sink. She didn't believe it. How could he say something like that?_

"_Wha-what are you saying?"_

"_Oh cut the crap, Taylor. You know exactly why this happened. You wouldn't give it up so I had to go and find someone who would. I need a woman that'll love me and screw me. Frankly, you're just not that person."_

_Taylor rushed forward and slapped him. "Bastard," she whispered before dashing out the back door. Her flip-flops coming off in the process.

* * *

_

"Miss me?" a voice called out once Taylor reached the water. She whipped around and came face to face with none other than Jarrett.

"In your dreams," she replied before attempting to walk off. Attempting being the key word.

Jarrett's hand snaked out and grabbed out of the wrist that was not in a cast. "Where ya goin' baby doll? You pissed off at you little boyfriend over at DT Automotive?"

Taylor glared at him. "You've been spying on me!" she screamed, incredulously.

An evil smirk came onto Jarrett's face. "Indeed I have."

"Stay the hell away from me."

Jarrett ran a hand through Taylor's hair. "Now why would I do that? You're more seductive and irresistible now that we're not together."

Taylor yanked her hand away from Jarrett. "Leave me alone," she hissed before she started to walk away.

"But don't you want to know what your boyfriend has been up to?"

She froze in her spot, but kept her back to him. "Go to hell."

Taylor ran up the beach and to her car. When she got in it, she locked it and laid her head on the steering wheel. She knew deep down that if she were to ever figure out what Leon was doing that she would want to hear it from Leon. Definitely not from Jarrett. Taylor took a deep breath before driving back toward the fort. What she would do once she got there, she had no clue.

* * *

When Taylor pulled into the fort's driveway, all lights in the house were out. A look at her clock on the dash told her that it was 1:24 in the morning. She climbed out of her car and walked up to the front door. With a twist of the wrist, she found the door unlocked. Silently, she thanked whoever left it unlocked and stepped into the house. She locked it behind her before walking toward the stairs that led to Leon's room. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs, she headed into Leon's room and found him sleeping. Her heart ached for him, but she was still a little angry. She bent down and scooped up a shirt that was lying by her feet. Taylor walked over to the closet and threw it into the dirty clothes hamper that laid at the bottom of it. Before she had a chance to turn around, a pair of arms wrapped around her and a pair of lips kissed the spot right below her ear.

"I'm sorry," Leon whispered to her.

Taylor sighed and turned around.

"If you want to know still, I'll tell you…"

She placed a finger on his lips and gave him a small smile. "I don't want to know anymore."

Leon quirked an eyebrow.

"It's none of my business. I shouldn't have gotten upset. I should be the one who's sorry, not you."

He kissed her lips and pulled her over to the bed.

"It's okay," he whispered as he laid down on the bed next to her.

Taylor sighed again and kissed his lips. A ghost of a smile was on Leon's face. "What?"

Leon couldn't help but laugh. "You look so cute when you're tired."

She rolled her eyes and laid her head on his chest. "Whatever," was the mumbled reply.

"You do," he insisted, however, there was no reply. Leon glanced down at Taylor and smiled when he saw that she was out like a light. He pulled the sheets up around them before drifting off to sleep as well.


	10. 9: Criminal

**The Fast and the Furious: Redline**

**Chapter Nine  
**Criminal

When Leon awoke the next morning, a feeling of dread quickly enveloped him. He turned to where he was facing Taylor, who was sleeping next to him. Slowly, he moved his hand up her arm and began to draw small circles on her shoulder. Taylor smiled softly and opened her eyes.

"Mornin'," she whispered.

Leon smiled in return, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

"What's wrong, babe?" Taylor asked as she moved closer to him. She placed her cheek against his chest, and her hand slid over his hip.

"There's something I have to tell you."

Taylor moved back a bit and looked him in the eyes. Concern was written all over her face as well as confusion.

"What is it?"

Leon took a deep breath and pushed the cotton, navy blue sheets away from his body. He sat up and leaned against the headboard. Taylor lifted up her torso and put her arms behind her to hold her up.

"Leon, what's wrong?"

He ran a hand through his hair before speaking. His words were slow to come out. He placed his head in his hand. Fear for her reaction to what he was going to say kept him from looking up.

"When you asked me last night what Dom and I were always talking about, it got me thinking. I wasn't going to tell you at first, but now I see that I have no choice. You not knowing is slowly but surely driving me insane…" And with that, the whole story of the truck hijackings spilled out. Leon kept his eyes on his hands through the whole story, afraid of what he might see in her eyes.

Taylor sat up all the way and looked over at Leon, shock and hurt written on her face. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Leon looked over at her. "Because I was afraid of what you might say. I didn't know how you were going to take it."

"You were afraid that I was going to leave you?" she asked. Her voice was eerily calm. All emotion had been erased.

"Yeah." He attempted to move closer, but she moved away from him.

"Well, guess what…you thought right," she spat.

A look of hurt splashed onto his face. "Taylor, I…"

"What'd you expect, Leon? That you would tell me about the trucks and I wouldn't care? That I would just say 'Oh, okay' and pretend as if nothing was wrong? Hello! _You're a criminal._ If you get caught, they could send you away for years. The police could even link me to it. They'll claim that I knew something about it and now I do… God, Leon, my life could be ruined all because of greed. Money isn't everything!"

"It is when you're living with six other people who all work at the same place," he replied to her frantically. Quickly, he noticed that Taylor was getting more and more upset by the minute.

"You invited me to live with you when I got kicked out. You didn't have to. I could have moved to another apartment or something. You guys put yourself in this situation and I'm not going to be here when the fall-out happens."

Taylor jumped off the bed and grabbed her keys from the nightstand. She stalked out of the room and up the stairs with Leon quick on her heels. By this time, everyone in the house had noticed that the couple was having an argument and had appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Everything all right?" Letty asked with a slight smile on her face. She knew what it was like to have an argument and how quickly they started and ended.

"Move," Taylor barked out as she reached the top step.

Shocked, Letty stepped to the side and watched her plow through Dom and Leon.

"Taylor, stop," Leon begged. He continued to follow her as she walked into the living room and out of the front door. "Please, just let me explain."

"There's nothing to explain, Leon. You're a criminal. End of story," she threw over her shoulder. Leon reached out and grabbed her arm as she neared her car. Angrily, Taylor spun around and pushed him away from her. He bumped into Vince, who in return grabbed his arms.

"Just let her go, dog," he said to Leon.

They both watched Taylor get into her car. Without looking back, she drove away from the house, leaving the whole team in the front yard.

* * *

Leon sat straight up in his bed and immediately looked over at the alarm clock. It was 5:37 in the morning and his body was drenched in sweat. Movement beside him caught his attention as he began to replay the nightmare he had just had over in his head. Taylor shifted in her sleep and pulled the navy blue, cotton sheets closer to her. Leon sighed heavily at the sight of her in his bed and laid back down.

"You okay?" Taylor asked, her eyes barely opening.

Leon smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Now I am," he whispered back to her. He placed a light kiss on her forehead.

She nodded before closing her eyes and moving closer to him. He couldn't help but notice how easily she fit against him. He promised himself that he would never do or say anything to make her leave his side.

As he closed his eyes to drift off to sleep again, the words "You're a criminal" played over and over in his mind. He sighed deeply knowing that there was no possible way he would get a restful sleep.

* * *

Taylor padded her way upstairs and smiled when she found Vince sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Whatcha doin' up, big guy? It's only 10 o'clock. I figured you'd sleep in, seein' as it's Saturday and your day off."

Vince didn't respond. He merely grabbed the remote and began to change channels with his trademark scowl on his face.

"What happened now?" she asked, exasperated as she plopped onto the couch next to him.

There came no response.

"Hello? Earth to big man."

Taylor moved closer to V and grabbed the remote from his hands. Only then, did he look at her.

"Do you mind?" he growled out.

"Woah, someone didn't have their coffee today," she said with a small smile as she handed the remote back to V. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin'," he replied while returning to changing the channel. The sound of infomercials filled the air seconds before the channel changed. Taylor rolled her eyes and moved closer to V, but not too close.

"Nothin' usually means somethin', so spill," she said, not giving up. Part of her was only playing with him, but deep down she knew that he was majorly peeved about something. She just wanted to know what that thing was or if it had to do with her.

The muscles in Vince's jaw clenched and she decided to leave it alone. If he wanted her to know, then she would. "Okay, I get it," she mumbled. Defeated, she headed into the kitchen to get a glass of orange juice. As she entered, Taylor saw Mia standing at the stove making breakfast.

"Sure smells good."

Mia glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "I try my best," she replied, modestly.

Taylor reached into the fridge and grabbed the orange juice. After pouring a glass, she hopped onto the counter next to the stove.

"You know what V is mad about?" Mia asked after a bit of time had passed.

"Nah, he wouldn't tell me."

"Me either." Mia moved some of the scrambled eggs around in the pan that she was holding. "I came downstairs and he was on the couch, scowling away."

"Same here. Somethin' must have happened before I came home last night."

As she scooped the scrambled eggs into a bowl, she asked, "Where _did_ you go last night?"

Not wanting to think about what had happened the night before with her and Jarrett, Taylor merely said, "I just needed to think, that's all."

Mia shook her head in understanding. Without pressing the issue further, she changed the subject back to V. "You think he's still pissed about Brian taking me out to eat?"

The other woman shrugged. "Not sure, but that was real mean to do. I know it's not my place to say so. V is head over heels for you, Mia."

"I didn't know what else to do. He came in here, being a typical ass hole. I had to show him that I didn't have the same feelings for him as he did for me."

"What's wrong with V, though? He is so sweet to me. Yeah, he can be an ass hole sometimes, but what man isn't?"

Mia laughed. "So very true."

The two girls continued talking in the kitchen while making breakfast. They ate their breakfast in the process. After a half hour past, the rest of the team began to fill into the kitchen. Vince or Dom didn't say anything as they prepared their plates. Jesse and Letty were talking about a car that had been brought into the garage the day before. Leon placed a soft kiss on Taylor's lips before grabbing and plate and her hand. He led her back down stairs to his room.

"How long you been up, baby?"

"Only about thirty minutes."

Leon nodded and began to eat some of his scrambled eggs. He seemed real distant, and Taylor couldn't figure out why. Fearing that it was something she had done, she opened her mouth to ask what was wrong but nothing came out. Nervousness spread like a wildfire throughout her. _What if he knew about her run in with Jarrett? How could he know about that? Why would he care?_

"You okay?" he asked, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinkin' that's all."

"'Bout what?" He placed a piece of his toast in his mouth, while waiting for her answer.

"Nothin' big."

Accepting her answer, Leon placed his plate on the floor and pulled Taylor closer to him.

"I'm sorry 'bout last night."

"You already told me that, Leon," she said with a small smile.

"I know, I just feel like a complete ass hole."

A giggle escaped her lips and he looked at her curiously. "It's okay, all guys can be ass holes at times."

"But I shouldn't have been one." He wrapped his arms around her waist and sighed, the nightmare haunting his thoughts.

"Leon, baby, I don't care." Her sentence came out as a whisper and Leon could sense the sincerity in her voice. Knowing that he was getting off to easy, he laid his head back against the headboard.

How she could not want to know about all of the mysterious disappearing acts and meetings baffled him. But there was really nothing he could do about it, but come right out and tell her what was going on. Fear that his nightmare might come true kept him from doing that.


End file.
